The Soil

    I have been reading a lot lately that our topsoil is not as rich as it was even twenty years ago because we have taken all the nutrients out of it and replaced it with chemical substitutes.  This means that our food supply is not as nutritious and has many chemicals in it. The soil has been depleted. 
    I was thinking about the spiritual soil of our hearts.  I was thinking that it is not tilled the same way that it was twenty years ago.  Church is not as important in this generation. God is not part of our schools or government entities as He was a generation ago.  Bible reading is not the same and understanding Bible truths has suffered. 
     It is so important to understand the concept of spiritual soil.  For example... you can't plant in sand what you can plant in rich fertile soil.  You just won't get the same result.
     So what can we do to prepare the soil of  our hearts? Fill it with the Word! Nothing replenishes our spiritual soil like a good healthy dose of the Word of God!
    Just read the Word and ask God to show you the deeper revelations within the book!  He will because He is faithful.
    Then prepare for a bountiful harvest of good spiritual food! 

The Days of Wonder

     These are the days of wonder. The wonderment of how big God is, how loving He is, how faithful He is and how good He is. The days that make me wonder at the power of God. The days that make me see His face and His hands in the earth. The days that make me wonder if I can even begin to understand His great and eternal plan for my life and my destiny. The days that me stop and think, Lord I am undone in your Presence.  These are the days to be surprised by the magnitude of God's grace in sending His Son. These are the days to be overwhelmed by Him. Lord let me never stop seeing the wonder of You!
    Sometimes we think we have God figured out. That we can control Him by our words, actions, deeds, even declarations. The wonderment of God is that He is the Almighty.  He is God and we are not. And the great wonderment is that He loves us and cares for us even as we struggle to create our God box so we can define Him. Can we capture even a whirlwind? Can we tell the sun when to rise or the moon when to set? Can we hear the song of the galaxy? Can we make it sing a different tune? We serve a God who with His Words created these with His breath! The wonder and amazement of this simple fact, the God of the universe loves me. He see me, He knows me and He loves me. Think on that for a minute. Oh the wonder of it!
   

The Lavender Blooms!

Hope springs eternal and in my heart I sing for joy when my lavender plant blooms.  Bought at a big box store with little hope for survival I put it in the ground when it was the size of my hand about five years ago.  The first year it bloomed again, I gazed at it in wonderment at how it had survived the cold winter and the blazing hot Oklahoma sunshine. The next year it was ice cold in the winter and it rained for 60 days straight and I looked out in my garden and the lavender bloomed anyway.  Two more blistering hot summers came and went. Everything dried up and grew brown and dreary, but in June the lavender blazed in it's glory! Bigger and bigger it grew,  from the size of my hand to the size of a basketball, and then it grew some more to the size of a yardstick! This year it waited until after the two tornadoes and hail storms and 30 inches of rain, until today when I went out to hang my clothes on the line, I saw it!! It had burst into it's beautiful purple display of spikenard blooms!
Yes it is believed that the lavender plant is the spikenard spoken of in the Bible.  It is over five feet wide and almost four feet tall! And I looked at it and I laughed and said, "If that small tiny no pedigree plant can be so gorgeous and majestic in it's beauty and glory, well then so can I!"
                                       AND I HAD HOPE!
This is Pastor Susan Living the Everyday Prophetic Life FULL OF HOPE!

If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck....

    Mother's day 2013 was interesting to say the least.  Blessed beyond measure and full of hope. I love how God uses the little things in life to show us amazing lessons.
   Lesson One: We don't know what we've left behind... My daughter a professional photographer during the after church reception looks out the window and says, "Quick get me my camera, that momma duck and her babies are going across the parking lot next door at the bank!" So off she went with her husband and their two little ones and the nursery worker and an assortment of other children and parents.  Three minutes later  they all come trooping back carrying two baby ducks... Huh? Oh the momma forgot them.. we are going to call wildlife rescue. Oh sure, there are dozens of people sitting at the Department of Wildlife Rescue (is there even such a thing?) waiting for the phone to ring on Sunday Mother's day afternoon to pick up two ducklings in Oklahoma. Um? maybe the mother will come back for them?  Nope she waddled off with the rest of her ducklings we found these two blocks back... they couldn't make the climb over the curb and she thought she had them all and left them behind.. Lesson One...What have you forgotten and left behind that is really important? Maybe a friend? Maybe a loved one that you have fallen out of touch with because they couldn't make the climb or change in the place you are in your life?
    Lesson Two: Just keep looking! Jared my son-in-law decided to look for the momma duck and the rest of the ducklings! So he searched the neighborhood alley and behind trees and in culverts to see where the momma was hiding! And guess what? In the tall grass of a vacant lot she and her ducklings were resting!  Lesson Two... whatever you feel you have lost don't stop looking for it! Don't stop searching for those who are supposed to be part of your life!
   Lesson Three: Being re-united is key! When he found the momma, he sent someone running to get the left behind ducklings, who were then driven by car to her location and released. The momma began quacking loudly as soon as she recognized their little peeps! QQQUUUAACCCKKKK! quack! QQUUAAckk! She got down low and came toward them just a quacking away! And then they all waddled off together to their new life adventure!  Lesson three... sometimes it takes a little help to get re-united but then it all turns out great!
   May the Lord re-unite you with those you have left behind and may he bring those into your path who will search relentlessly in pursuit of reconciliation.
    This is Pastor Susan Living the Everyday Prophetic Life and listening for the Quacks!

The Healing Begins

    When I am entering a season of healing in my life, I sense the beginning of creativity.  Inside my heart and a stirring in my soul, I sense the Lord beginning to awaken something new and different. A passion for creating begins to swirl up and the tornado of creative activity begins to develop.
     What an exciting time to watch the Lord begin that healing process by birthing something new for me.  It's like what I see in my mind's eye can be brought into the natural by the work of my hands.  So I begin to create and one form of artistic expression spills over to another form and it all melds together in a creative symphony. 
    That's where I am... I feel that I am entering a healing season and nothing expresses that better than the burst of creativity that comes from within. So what will I be creating? Watch and see!
   Let's go on this journey together! Hold on here we go!

This is Pastor Susan Living the Everyday Prophetic Life with a spark, no make that a wildfire, of creativity!

Activating your Prophetic Destiny

Journey to Destiny

Part One

Activating your Prophetic Destiny

I am so happy today to bring you Part One "Activating your Prophetic Destiny" of my three part series Journey to Destiny. This series is designed to move you forward on your pathway to the fulfillment of God's plan and purpose in your life. The Bible says in Jeremiah 29:11 quoting from the NIV " For I know the plans I have for you, " declares the LORD, "plans to give a hope and a future." Later in verse 13, He the LORD states, " You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart". I believe that if you are reading this blog entry you are actively seeking the Lord's plan for your life. And if not then this blog entry can be a great first step in that direction.

I want to ask you a question. Have you ever received a personal word for God perhaps spoken into your life by a prophet, a pastor, a teacher perhaps? have you ever had a Thus saith the Lord word spoken into your life? I call it a Destiny word, a word that witnesses to your spirit, a word that made you cry out in your heart, "YES!" that is what I want! Yes Lord! That is what I need! That is where I want to go! Now some have these prophetic words written in journals. And some have these words on old fashioned tapes, cds and now digital recordings such as mp3. And some have received the same prophetic word from several people. And have received confirmation words and put them as well into their personal journals etc.

I want to tell you now, that if your haven't had this particular type of prophetic word spoken over you, you still have a prophetic destiny. Our greatest prophetic destiny is described in the 66 books of the Bible. From Genesis to Revelation, there are prophetic promises made for each of us. There are promises that we can stand on and activate in our lives so that we might fulfill the plan of God for our live. For example we are promised peace. Philippians 4:7 state in the KJV " And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." In Philippians 4:19 we are promised our financial resources to fulfill our destiny, it says "But my God shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." Amen! Wow! These wonderful promises are all through the Word. That's one of the reasons our ministry is called PromiseChurch, because of the promises of the Word.

Now the question that I am often asked is, "How do I get my life from where I am right now to where God would have me to be so that I am right now to where God would have me to be so that I might fulfill the plan of God on my life-my Destiny purpose?" In other words, "How do I activate the prophetic words spoken over me from the seed to fulfillment and and fruition?" First of all let me state that your Destiny has already been made manifest in the heavenlies. In the throne room, because it is in the heart of God. Your responsibility is to birth that destiny into the natural realm from the supernatural. Psalm 139 speaks about how the Lord created you and knows you intimately. It speaks of how the Lord created a wonderful work when He created you. Psalm 139: 13 NIV "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb." Verse 14 reads, " I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well".

God knew you before you were born. And He had a wonderful destiny purpose for your life.

As we delve into this question today of "how to activate your prophetic destiny, I believe the best place to begin is always the Word of God. The best place to begin any lesson on guidance and direction is to look at the Word for instruction. And so today. I want to examine the life of one woman whose path to Destiny was not determined by outward appearances but by the supernatural power of God. Let me tell the story of 1 Kings 17:7. Let me set the background for just a moment. The nation of Israel, God's chosen people had fallen into idolatry, the worship of false gods. The prophet Elijah had been sent to speak out against this idol worship and in so doing had incurred the wrath of King Ahab and his wife Jezebel. Elijah was a prophet who demonstrated many signs and wonders as he spoke against the idol worship in the nation. It says in James 5:17 NIV, "Elijah was a man just like us. he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years." Elijah had decreed that it would not rain in Israel as a sign that the Lord was against the practice of idolatry.

In 1Kings 17:7 we meet for the first time the widow of Zarepath. I am going to read this brief account of an amazing activation of destiny in the life of this widow and her son. Elijah had been staying by a brook and being fed by the ravens. But that provision ended and now the Lord sent him in a different direction. 7- Some time later the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land. 8-Then the word of the LORD came to him: 9:"Go at once to Zarephath of Sidon and stay there. I have commanded a widow in that place to supply you with food." 10 So he went to Zarephath. When he came to the town gate, a widow was there gathering sticks. he called to her and asked, "Would you bring me a little water in a jar so I may have a drink?" 11 As she was going to get it, he called, "And bring me, please, a piece of bread." 12 "as surely as the LORD your God lives, " she replied, " I don't have any bread-only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat- and die"13 Elijah said to her, "Don't be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small cake of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself. "The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the LORD gives rain on the land''. 15 She went away and did as Elijah had told her. So there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family. 16 For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the LORD spoken by Elijah.

Now Zarephath was the epicenter of the idolatrous practices that had brought the judgment of drought on Israel. It was located in a pagan land. It was to the heart of the storm that the LORD sent Elijah to receive his provision and for a widow women to receive her destiny. Your destiny is not destroyed because it is located in the middle of a battlefield or even in the middle of the enemy's camp. The LORD is strong and will help you overcome your adversaries and provide provision and destiny supply in the midst of the struggles of your life. It doesn't have to be all cleaned up nice and neat and tidy for your destiny to break forth. The widow at Zarephath wasn't even a widow of the Israelite nation. She was from a foreign land. But when destiny breaks forth you don't have to have a pedigree. You don't have to be of the right family or the right neighborhood or have the right connections, you just have to be willing to go and do. You have to be willing to be obedient. And you have to DO. GO AND DO ARE TWO VERY IMPORTANT WORDS IN THE ACTIVATION OF YOUR PROPHETIC DESTINY. She could have said " Oh I don't know. I am not sure that this is my provision to take me through this drought and famine...." I better wait on another prophetic word. I heard Obediah was hiding one hundred prophets in caves. If this one showed up maybe there's more. Yup, better to be cautious than to rush in. "NO NO NO! verse 15 to me is pivotal in this passage. " She went away and did as Elijah had told her" Went means she got up and went the past tense of GO. Not, I am going tomorrow to fulfill my prophetic destiny. Not sitting, Not waiting, Not looking for further instructions. Get and Move! That is how you activate your prophetic destiny. Activation requires obedience trust faith. the word activation means action. The beginning of Action. The initial steps. The widow at Zarephath did not let the following circumstances control her destiny and her provision. which followed her obedience.

The national economy: There was a drought followed by famine. Quite a significant downturn. Oh things look bad, better hang on to every cent. No if the Lord asks for your provision He will give you more!

Personal finances: All she had left was some oil and flour. Sounds like a very small checkbook balance to me. Oh when I get some money I am really going all out for God. Why I might even start tithing. NO give even more in a recession.

Her personal relationships. She was a widow. NO living husband, out fending for herself with a son who was obviously not helping her because she was the one out gathering sticks. Or he was too little to help. Oh when my family comes to Christ, my husband, my wife my kids and don't forget the grandkids, then I am ready to fulfill my purpose and destiny. NO NO No Don't wait. Go Go Go they will follow you to the fulfillment of your destiny or else you will follow them into disobedience.

The widow had natural expectations. She expected to die. In the natural that was it. But your destiny is a supernatural event that is translated into the natural world. So it doesn't react the same. Instead of dying she was probably the only widow in that part of the world that got up each morning looked out the window and said NO RAIN Praise God! We have enough for today. Because her promise was in verse 14 that the flour and oil would not run out until the rain came. So she was fine with the supernatural expectation that what looked disastrous for the rest of the people worked out great for her and her family. verse 15 says there was food every day!!! Let me tell you a natural disaster and a catastrophe cannot keep you from your destiny. Only you can keep you from it. It is a choice. Get up and take the first step and begin the process.

Let me be crystal clear on this issue. The only person who can stop you from fulfilling your prophetic destiny is you.

Obedience Trust and Faith and you are launching!

My daughter Becky shared this thought with a group of women recently as I was teaching this message. She said this:

A lot of times when we receive a word a personal word from God we build a house and set under the that word. We tabernacle there so to speak. Instead of being the engine that propels us forward it becomes the place where we sit and wait for destiny to find us.

How do you activate your prophetic destiny? You are obedient and you begin and you expect God to meet you and fulfill His promises to you. YOU get up and go. I look forward to sharing parts two and three with you. Part two is "Creating an Atmosphere for Destiny" and Part three is "An Appointment with Destiny"

 

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader Picture

    When Marc and I opened The Promise last year, a friend of ours who is a prophetic painter, gave us a beautiful piece of art of the first cut of wheat in a field. There are some single stalks of grain that are falling into a basket that is placed on a tallit in a field. The cut of wheat is the furthest to the left and you can see a farmhouse and a barn at the far end. Further than that you can see a small range of mountains.
    One of the things that I believe is that God will show you the things of heaven if you ask Him to do so. What is going on right now in heaven that I need to be aware of Father?
    So the other evening, our daughter was visiting our home and it had been a big week. We were all tired and the grand babies were sleeping. We were still visiting about the things of God and talking about heaven and how to see the things that are happening there.
   I started to say, well, lets just ask the Lord to show us... when all of a sudden Becky points to the picture and says the stalks of wheat are bobbing up and down in that picture. And then the next thing she said was I hear the dry sound of the wheat in the field.  She said is that wheat field in heaven? I said no, but I have seen the road to heaven before and this looks like it is on the way there. I said why don't you just follow the cut of the wheat like it is a road and see if you can see what is up the road by the farmhouses and maybe beyond.  I told her that the part that would be like heaven's door would be the yellow color reflecting off of the top of the mountains. 
    So we sat still and just looked at the picture for a moment, watching the wheat bob up and down and hearing the dry sound of the wheat field. I asked what did you see? And she said there is another house further up beyond the farm house in the picture and it has an octagon for a window... it looks like a log cabin hobbit house.  That's as far as she got.  I only got to the first farmhouse where an angel came out to greet me with a message. 
    I have a saying that I have gotten from the C.S. Lewis Chronicles of Narnia series. The Professor tells it to Lucy when she is poking around in the wardrobe, hoping to go back to the Land of Narnia the way she did the first time for all the great adventures. He states, you can't go back the same way twice.  So the second time that they go it is because they fell into a picture that suddenly came to life and now they were on the boat The Dawn Treader and out on the high seas.  What does this mean? It means that if you want to go to heaven, you have to keep your eyes open for the heaven portal or gate. Of course the only way to go to heaven is through the salvation of Jesus Christ, but I am talking about visiting the place while here on earth.
    So I think that in a way we fell into the picture and we were taken on an amazing journey to the Promised Land! Some pictures are just painted pathways to the throne room! Think about it!


This is Pastor Susan ...Living the Everyday Prophetic Life and falling into heaven!

Ministry 101 Stop and Listen

 When growing in ministry there are some simple principles that each of us needs to learn and apply on an everyday basis.  Some of these lessons are just ministry 101.  Here is an example or Rule 1: Just Listen.    
        The other day I was washing my hands at the sink in the washroom.  A woman that I did not know well asked how I was doing and I responded with my usual response at work, "I am here." At that moment I usually forget to ask how the other person is doing, but I am teaching myself to remember to ask them how THEY are doing.  It's not because I don't care but I am usually very busy and seconds usually count.  So I stopped looked over and purposefully said, "How are you?" At which time she told me that she had just gotten out of the hospital with a severe asthma attack. And now she was on blood pressure medication and was having trouble with her eyesight.  So I paid attention and listened to her story. It wasn't a long story but she was sad and scared. We walked out together and as I was turning to go to my desk, she smiled and said, "You are always so kind to listen". And I froze in my tracks, because I know that I am often not kind to listen. That I have to make myself stop and listen. So I walked back to where she was standing and I said, "I believe in healing, and I know that you believe in it too. And I want you to know that I will be praying. And just because things are like this today doesn't mean that they will be like this tomorrow. This is not the end of your story." At which point she started crying, grabbed me and hugged me and said, "I needed to hear that. I am sure that's why our paths crossed in the washroom". There is a time for speaking and teaching and a  time to just listen!

Let the Lord teach you both in His timing!
    
This is Pastor Susan Living the Everyday Prophetic Life by just listening.

New Year (Gentile Year 2013) New Look

It's a New Year and  time for a new look for the blog. After 4 years of blogging, it seems like time to freshen up the place and I am very excited for the new wind of the Holy Spirit that is going to bring a renewed vision to this blog... So let's start something new and let's take this journey together!

Did you notice the beautiful rose pink color of the blog? The pink color is for the white of the priests robes that was splattered with the blood of the offering of the lambs in the temple and created the pink color of sacrifice. Pink is not necessarily just a girly color for babies.  It is a powerful statement that God loves us and sacrificed His son for us so that we may have eternal life. It is the color for the Bride of Christ.  And the Bride is powerful because she is covered in the King's authority. She stands in His authority in the Kingdom of Christ. All that He has He has given to her and for her.  

I love the hummingbirds on this blog.  They drink the nectar of the flowers. They seem to be suspended in mid-air as if flying in place and doing the impossible.  But they are enjoying the most beautiful perfumed honey of the flowers. That is like us as Christians.  We are suspended between heaven and earth with one foot in the natural and one foot in the spiritual. We are drinking the perfume of His fragrant love as we do the seemingly impossible.

Thank you for stopping by and be blessed in this year of God's provision and peace.   Let's be suspended in the heavenlies and learn of Him this year!